


WinterHawk Week 2019

by Sarcastic-Mess (MasterOfDisaster)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: "Take that back", Accidental Confession, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Arranged Marriage, Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Enemies to Lovers, Established Relationship, Fireworks, Forbidden Love, Holding Hands, Hurt Clint, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, M/M, Magic, Nightmares, soulbound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-25 10:16:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20722565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MasterOfDisaster/pseuds/Sarcastic-Mess
Summary: A collection for WinterHawk Week 2019.21/09/19 -> Forbidden Love (Werewolf!Au)22/09/19 -> Holding Hands (Canon, Hurt/Comfort)23/09/19 -> Soulbound (Canon, Enemy to Lovers, Magic)24/09/19 -> "Take that back." (Kid!Fic)25/09/19 -> Arranged Marriage (Medieval)26/09/19 -> Accidental Confessions (Canon Divergence)27/09/19 -> Fireworks (No Powers AU, established)





	1. Forbidden Love

**Author's Note:**

> This was such a blast.   
I must admit the entry for the last day is not finished, but everything else is finished and vary drastically in size. Oops.   
Hopefully, you enjoy it just as much as I did writing it.

“You smell different.”

Clint didn’t do anything dumb like freeze or widen his eyes or any of the very suspicious things that would get him caught immediately. Instead, he just lifted his shoulder to sniff at it, but he could only smell himself, the pack he belonged to and a hint of sand from training the pups earlier in the morning. “What do you mean?”

Natasha shrugged, leaning forward a bit to get a better sniff. “I’m not sure. It’s been changing for a while now, but I would say you smell happier.” 

“I noticed it too,” Bruce said from the seat next to Natasha, turning his glass in his hands. “You’ve always been a bit of a loner. Taking patrols alone and not fully committing even as you give everything to the pack. As the pack’s healer, I always felt you were unsettled und not sure where you belong. Now it feels like you found it.”

“Huh.” Clint knew exactly what the reason for that was. Or rather who.

Arms wrapped around him and Natasha rubbed her cheek against his shoulder and cheek. “I’m glad. I love you.”

He returned the gesture even as guilt churned in his stomach. “I love you too.”

**

Clint couldn’t stop moving. His paws were wearing a trail into the dirt and his head twitched in different directions every time he thought he heard something or smelled something that shouldn’t be around here. 

“Sorry, I’m late. Steve just wouldn’t shut up about territory borders and patrol routes.” Bucky shook his head, hair flying everywhere not unlike fur. There was mud on his palms and feet. 

In a flash, Clint darted forward, shifting into his human body just before he tackled Bucky off his feet. 

Cool water washed over their heads as they plunged into the pool underneath the waterfall that transformed into a river serving as territory border. As soon as they broke through the surface they were scent-marking the other as much as they dared, as much as they could wash off again. 

“I missed you,” Clint murmured into Bucky’s neck, relaxing into Bucky’s arms for the first time since they had seen each other last. 

“Me too.” Bucky kissed the junction of Clint’s shoulder and neck, where the mating bite went for chosen pairs. “You know how much I hate this.” 

Pulling away Clint didn’t let go of Bucky and moved towards the waterfall. There they both ducked back underwater and swam through the narrow tunnel into the little cave they had claimed as their own. 

The blankets and pillows they managed to get in here were drenched with their combined scents and they fell into the nest, legs immediately tangling and mouths meeting. 

There was no urgency to it now that they were together again. Clint was just melting into Bucky’s taste and smell and the knowledge that Bucky was  _ his.  _

“Natasha told me I seem happier lately,” Clint said when the kisses slowed down and their noses just rubbed against each other. “And Bruce said I was less of a lone wolf and more settled.” 

Bucky’s fingers carded through Clint’s hair, the twist to his mouth bittersweet. “Steve said the same thing about me. As happy as we can be when we are in rival packs.” 

“If Steve and Tony could just get their heads out of their asses, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.” Clint’s claws came out a little to scratch up Bucky’s back. It would be healed in the morning, but Clint really needed to mark him in at least one way. 

“Let’s stop talking about them.” Easily Bucky rolled them, so Clint was beneath him, weighted down by Bucky’s body. “Let me claim you.” 

Shivering Clint tilted his head back, exposing his throat and surrendering completely.

**

Tony was holding a lieutenant meeting when the howl pierced the air and they all perked up. 

_ Invader  _ it said and they all immediately abandoned their talk. Tony and Bruce were the only ones who didn’t shift before they started running. 

As the fastest of them, Pietro’s silver fur vanished from the sight, but Clint and Natasha were on his heels. They were still training Pietro, still trying to teach him patience and holding back even if that meant not being first, but stronger in numbers.

Another howl from Maya and Rhodey’s answer echoed through the woods as Clint tore through the underbrush, only absently feeling some thorns and branches scratching along his sides. 

He could hear Pietro skid to a halt, could hear his and Maya’s heartbeats next to a third. It took smelling blood for Clint to realize that he knew that heartbeat, knew that scent of blood as well as his own. 

His paws dug into the ground harder to propel himself forward faster leaving Natasha behind. His arrival was undignified, but his eyes were focused only in front of him. 

There, leaning against a tree, being towered over by Maya and snarled at by Pietro, his leg a mess of blood, was none other than Bucky. 

Their eyes met and recognition flashed in Bucky’s. Resigned acceptance followed as he surveyed the rest of Clint’s pack’s response to the alarm. He thought he was going to die. He thought Clint was going to choose his pack over Bucky. 

“What are you doing here?”, Tony asked, his aura of an alpha seeping out of him supporting the command for answers. 

Bucky bared his teeth. Even bleeding and on the ground, as a human, he looked dangerous. “You think you’re going to intimidate me?” 

Before Tony could answer, the sound of paws and feet came closer from the enemy territory and Rhodey pulled Tony and Bruce back with a shout of “Ambush!” 

The surprise, the panic in Bucky’s eyes told Clint that wasn’t the case. 

Steve and his lieutenants appeared, humans and wolves. Wanda went over to Bucky immediately to heal him while Steve took positions in front of them with a growl. 

“How dare you attack one of mine, Stark.”

“He invaded my lands,  _ Rogers _ .” Tony ripped away Rhodey’s hand and stalked forward to get into Steve’s face. “My lands my rules and my rules say invaders die.” 

“You’ve always been such a liar. Always looking for an excuse to act like the biggest guy in town. You know how much I detest bullies.”

“He’s right,” Bucky interrupted and everyone turned to him. “I crossed the territory first. I told you I was doing it, Steve.”

Steve looked shocked. “What the hell, Bucky?” 

“I am done playing this stupid game of who has the bigger bone. You and Stark are being incredibly stupid and I tried to talk to you, but you wouldn’t listen.” 

“Natasha,” Tony said, her name enough to convey the kill order. Tony never liked it, but if anything threatened his pack he would do it. 

She darted forward and she was fast, but Clint was fueled by desperation and managed to get between her claws and Bucky just in time. 

Hot pain raced up his side and he could hear several people call his name. 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Bucky grabbed Clint, pulling him away and behind him. 

Clint shifted into human even though it would slow down the healing a little, but he needed to talk. “You know I never follow your plans. It’s fine.” 

“It’s not fine, you fucking idiot.” Bucky whipped off his shirt to press against the wound with one hand while the other cupped the side of Clint’s face. 

Nuzzling into the touch Clint smiled up at him. “I’m not letting you be a martyr.” 

“Bucky,” Sam, Steve’s second in command, said stepping up closer even as everyone else around them was frozen and staring at them like they had never seen them before. “Is he…”

“Yes.” Bucky pressed harder against the wound, his tone fondly exasperated. “Clint is my mate.”

Clint had known it from the moment he had fallen onto his snout in front of Bucky so long ago, but the verbal acknowledgment of it, of the fact neither of them had ever said out loud, surged through Clint, snapped a bond in place that went beyond the physical, beyond anything Clint knew. 

They both gasped, eyes flashing wolf blue, and Clint felt his wound heal completely, feel extraordinarily strong for a few seconds before it normalized again. 

“You’re mine,” Clint growled, grabbing the back of Bucky’s head to pull him closer and bite at his lips. “My mate.”

Bucky growled back, kissed Clint with the same desperation he usually felt after being separated for too long. “Mine.”

“Excuse me,” someone said and Bucky and Clint both turned their heads to snarl at Bruce who backed off in the same moment. “Tony and Rogers have agreed to have peace talks. They don’t want to lose either of you.” 

How long had Bucky and Clint been distracted? 

“Peace talks,” Bucky said in wonder and dangerous hope welled up in Clint. 

“Did it seriously only take us confronting them to get here?” 

For a moment they just stared at each other before dissolving into giggles, clinging to each other in relief, the mate bond singing between them. 


	2. Holding Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holding Hands -> Hurt/Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys already blew me away with all the support for the first chapter. I'm bad at replying to comments because I never know what to say, but know that I very much appreciate them and all the kudos. I also recognize some names from my previous works and that's just incredible. Thank you SO much. I couldn't do this without your support.

Bucky couldn’t believe this was happening. 

His one flesh hand was clammy, his chest was tight with emotions and there was a crick in his neck from not moving from this position for who knew how long. He didn’t care about it, though. He would take all the pain in the world if it meant Clint wouldn’t be laying in the hospital bed in front of Bucky right now. 

It had been so long since they had all gone out on the Avengers call. It was routine with robots trying to terrorize the citizens and they all did their thing until Clint was attacked by a robot on top of a building. A robot Bucky should have picked off but had let slip through the zone he had been in charge of. If that robot had just gone for Bucky it would have been fine. 

Bucky had the supersoldier serum to protect him and a fucking bulletproof arm, but Clint was only human. Fragile and breakable and Bucky would have loved to receive an ass-kicking for that thought alone, but that wasn’t happening. 

Clint’s skin was pale against the white sheets and the heart monitor beeped steadily, but he hadn’t opened his eyes in days and no one knew if he would again. Bent over Clint’s hand Bucky clutched it and pressed his forehead against the back of it, doing something he hadn’t done since he was a little boy. 

He prayed like his own life was on the line because in some way it was. 

It might have been Steve and Sam who had found Bucky and brought him to the tower, but it was Clint who had gotten Bucky to feel like his own person again. 

Bucky was being introduced to the others officially during breakfast and Clint was the last one to come into the room. With one look Clint saw what not even Steve could. 

“What do you want to drink, Bucky?” Steve asked and Bucky’s mind went blank, immediately followed by panic at his inability to even answer this simply question. 

“Here,” Clint said and put a mug and a glass in front of Bucky. “Coffee and orange juice. Which one?” A choice. A limited choice, but still a choice and so much easier to handle. 

It continued like this. Clint would notice Bucky being overwhelmed and would distract him, would show him that Bucky was allowed and even encouraged to make choices. Often it was something benign like “Cats or dogs?” or “Grape or cherry?” 

After Bucky was more settled and had taken to follow Clint around the tower and especially the range where he only watched and didn’t pick up any weapon in fear of hurting anyone, especially Clint, Clint told him a story while shooting arrow after arrow at the round targets. 

The story was about a handsome prince being cursed by an evil sorcerer to obey him and be loyal to him in all things. 

The whole time Bucky thought Clint was telling him a story about Bucky, so every time Clint mentioned the prince’s good looks or his bravery during the attack by huge flying whales, Bucky felt embarrassed and flattered. When Clint finished the story with the prince being welcomed into the royal council and finding his smile again, Clint turned to Bucky and smirked. 

“You think the story was about you?” Clint could always read Bucky infuriatingly well. “It was actually about me. Ask Natasha about it sometime.” 

And Bucky did and realized how similar Clint’s and his histories were. 

A shuddery breath left Bucky as he opened his eyes again to look at Clint in that horrible hospital bed. Clint never stayed in medical longer than it took him to escape. Even with a broken leg he still left an hour after he was carried in. So this sight was just wrong. 

“You need to get some rest, Buck,” Steve said softly, but Bucky shook his head. “He would want you to sleep and eat and definitely not worry so much.” 

“He has to tell me himself.” Bucky was not going to leave. He was not going to let go of Clint’s hand until Clint woke up. 

Steve sighed, but thankfully let him be. 

Another twenty-four hours of holding Clint’s limp hand and Bucky was losing his mind. He swore he had felt the fingers twitch a couple of times, but it also could be his imagination and the uncertainty was too much. 

But then, like a beam of light in the darkest of storms, Clint’s fingers clumsily curled his fingers around Bucky’s and his eyelids fluttered until they finally opened. 

Thousands of times imagining this moment still hadn’t prepared Bucky for what to say. 

“I love you,” Bucky blurted out and couldn’t even feel mortified because Clint smiled happily and muttered “Finally” before he slipped down again. 

It was okay though. Clint was out of the coma and he would recover like the tenacious asshole he was and Bucky would be able to watch him live his life happily and exactly like he wanted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me [here on Tumblr](https://sarcasticmesswriting.tumblr.com/) for excerpts into fanfiction I'm writing.  
(And look out for Whumptober I'm participating in where I hurt Clint a lot and give him a lot of different partners.)


	3. Soulbound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enemy to Lovers all because of Magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About 2K words and the longest chapter for now. There is one even longer later in the week. 
> 
> I'm still blown away by all the people liking this. I'm so, so, so grateful to all of you.

“You nearly shot me!”

“You took my fucking kill!” 

“If you hadn’t been so busy dicking around, I wouldn’t have to!”

“I was making sure Natasha wasn’t ambushed by the ones you let through!”

“I had to cover double the ground because of your-”

“ENOUGH,” Loki shouted, hands slapping down onto the conference table.

Surprise cut through the anger and Clint looked at the former supervillain with raised eyebrows. 

Bucky was still scowling, arms crossed over his chest, as he widened the gap between him and Clint and turned a haughty shoulder at Clint. 

“I have been listening to you two bicker like the old weavers in Asgard during my childhood, and I have enough.” Loki straightened up again, magic flickering around his hands. “Everyone has enough of this, though I can’t believe  _ I  _ am the one willing to do something about it.” 

Since Loki had joined the team, Clint hadn’t always been fine with the occasional magic or Loki moving into his personal space, but at that moment Clint was still occupied by his fight with Bucky and didn’t realize what was happening until green magic washed over his vision. 

All his limbs seemed to be attached and working, he didn’t feel like his loyalties had shifted anywhere in the last couple seconds and besides a weird feeling in his chest, everything seemed normal. 

“Brother,” Thor said, his voice a mix of awe and disbelief. “Was that wise?” 

“If I never have to hear another argument again, yes.” Without another word, Loki turned his nose up at them and left the room before anyone could protest. 

“What the hell did he do?” Bucky growled, eyes too wide, mouth too tight and murderous. 

Thor looked far too timid for Clint’s taste. “There is a practice in Asgard. It is not common and it requires the two individuals involved to think about it long and carefully. They need to be certain and trust each other implicitly.”

“Thor,” Steve prompted, eyebrows pinched, arms crossed over his chest. He wasn’t the only one worried. Clint’s leg was jiggling up and down and his fingers tapped an irregular rhythm against his hip under the table. 

“It is a bonding of two souls, used to feel what the other is feeling, to hear what the other is thinking. It is done by warriors and lovers for life. Only death can sever it. I do not know what my brother was thinking. It’s not too be taken lightly.” 

“Death, huh? That can be arranged.” Bucky flashed Clint a menacing smile and Clint glared back, but there was something different in his chest. It felt like fear, but not fear like Clint was used to. 

“So I should feel what Barnes is feeling and vice versa?” 

A prick of panic that faded immediately. 

“It is supposed to strengthen with time, but as I do not have any experience with this I can’t say for certain.” Thor glanced at Bucky and Clint one by one. “I apologize for my brother, but there is really nothing anyone can do to reverse it.” 

_ Well fuck,  _ Clint thought and saw how Bucky’s eyes widened for a second. “You heard that?”

“If you thought  _ fuck,  _ yeah.” 

“Look, guys, not that I’m condoning non-consensual use of magic, but this is the first time those two have talked to each other without throwing around insults.” Tony quickly raised his hands when Steve, Bucky, and Clint leveled glares at him. “I’m just saying,” he muttered. 

~

For a couple of days, Clint avoided Bucky as much as possible, but that wasn’t really anything new. He still got flashes of emotions that weren’t his own, but they were gone as soon as he noticed them and mostly it was just random things. 

But then one night Clint was shooting his bow on the range to get rid of some restless energy when sheer terror rolled over him. 

Images of grey. Hot. Cold. Pain. A square of light coupled with pressure on his chest and arms. 

Clint’s bow clattered to the ground and he could only think about making it stop. 

Ice. Fear of never opening his eyes again, of remembering what he had done and trying to figure out what it meant. 

There was only one reason for this. 

Without thinking or hesitating Clint started to run. He took the stairs two at a time, up and up and up, until he tore through the hallway with his breath fighting with his lungs. 

Bucky’s door gave way under Clint’s boot and he stumbled through the living room and into the bedroom Clint had never seen before. That didn’t matter though. Not much mattered at that moment.

Twisted in his blue sheets Bucky was throwing his head back and forth, sweat beading on his forehead and his whole face was scrunched up in a grimace. Clint could still feel his fear, the pain. Quickly he got onto the bed, ripping at the sheets until they gave away, though he didn’t care if they came free or he destroyed them. 

Lying down next to Bucky Clint cupped his face in both hands and pressed their foreheads together. He tried to summon up all the memories of the team being together, all the glimpses Clint had gotten of Steve and Bucky acting like brothers, all the feelings of belonging Clint had slowly accumulated since he started working for SHIELD. 

Hands came up to cling to Clint’s shoulders and slowly, very slowly Bucky started to relax, started to feel more of Clint’s emotions in a feedback loop. 

“You are with me, Bucky. You are in the Avengers Tower in your room. It’s like 3 in the morning and I broke into your room to get here. I’ll fix the door. We had pizza for dinner. Or I did? Who knows. I ate a lot of pizza this week. You went for one of your runs with Sam yesterday and he complained to me about it afterward. He said you are even more annoying to run with than Steve.” Clint continued to ramble about whatever came to mind. Stories about Bucky, about fights they had, about missions Clint and Natasha did or even just movies and shows Clint had watched. 

At some point, Bucky had stilled completely and had opened his eyes, though Clint wasn’t sure if it had been during the retelling of his favorite Dog Cops episode or the run through the Mongolian embassy. 

“The bond?” Bucky asked, voice quiet but still rough. 

“Yeah.” Now that their emotions were their own again, this whole situation started to become awkward. It was the first time they hadn’t argued or thrown insults at each other. Clint wasn’t quite sure what happened when they met to get them to be so antagonistic. 

Clint was about to pull away and leave this confusing scenario behind when the lights in the ceiling flashed and the Avenger alarm went off. 

With a groan, he heaved himself off the bed and quickly looked away when he saw that Bucky had gone to bed naked. He quickly left Bucky’s rooms to get himself ready.

~

Clint was settling into the pilot seat of the quinjet and getting it ready to launch as Tony briefed them on a HYDRA compound they were going to hit. It wasn’t anything they hadn’t done before, but it looked like HYDRA was getting ready to move base, so there wasn’t any time to lose. 

Steve continued to talk about placements and strategies when Clint felt it. 

Barely an echo of what Clint had felt during the nightmare, but it was unmistakably the same fear. Fear of going back, of not being able to fight HYDRA when they start to order him around, of forgetting what he had built here. But overshadowing the fear was the overwhelming urge to exact revenge, to hurt the people responsible for his own pain. 

Turning in his seat Clint looked over at Bucky who sat in his seat like in any other mission briefing. He was relaxed, his expression attentive and none of his inner turmoil was on display. 

Clint had known that Bucky had been used by HYDRA for a long time, but he hadn’t realized what exactly that had meant. Now he understood why Bucky was so irritable during specific times, why he fought like he wasn’t a part of a team. He understood that Bucky was feeling way too much for someone who wasn’t showing a bit of it. 

_ I didn’t know,  _ Clint thought and Bucky’s head snapped up to look at Clint. Realization of what Clint meant was followed by another wave of fear and the obvious signs of him shutting down. 

So Clint did the only thing he could do. He gathered all the memories and feelings associated with his time under Loki's control and the following recovery. All the sleepless nights and nightmares and panic attacks and times he sobbed in Natasha's arms. The feelings of not being able to protect his people, of being a danger to them. The harsh battle of accepting Loki into the team and especially the tower. 

Even Natasha who knew a lot didn't know everything that Clint went through to get back to being the cocky only human on the team he was now, the only human who was afraid any day Steve would realize having an ex-carnie on the team was a mistake. 

“I didn’t know either.” 

Steve paused, blinking at Bucky in confusion. “What do you mean?” 

_ Fuck,  _ Clint thought or Bucky thought? Maybe they both thought it, but thankfully they were approaching the base and the team’s focus shifted. 

Tony and Sam were the only ones staying outside while the rest breached the building. 

Somehow Clint ended up with Bucky in a hallway fighting through shouting guards with machine guns causing a racket. Clint concentrated on fighting like usual, didn’t think about Bucky and their soulbond. Not until he somehow knew he had to duck and bullets dug themselves into the wall where his head had just been. When he turned he saw Bucky breaking a man’s neck with his bare hands. 

There was no time to talk about it. 

They moved forward until they came across a big room with even more people, guards and scientists trying to pack up stuff as fast as possible. There were a chair and an iron maiden type thing against the wall with a tiny window in the front. 

Everything Clint had only gotten flashes of during the nightmare made sudden, disgusting sense and anger took over Clint’s body. 

In minutes Clint was standing in the middle of the room, chest heaving and adrenaline still coursing through his body. There was blood coating his hands and probably his face too. His quiver and gun were both empty and dead bodies littered the ground. 

Bucky was staring at him like he had never seen Clint before and he didn’t look away, even when Steve and Natasha burst into the room, chastising them for not answering on comms. 

“Clint?” Natasha asked, expression as careful as it had been after a bad night and before Clint would have welcomed her, welcomed her tactile reassurances and her logical approach, but right now. Right now Clint needed someone who understood him on a level she never would. 

“Let’s finish this,” Bucky said in his stead and Clint nodded. They headed out side by side and laid waste to anyone still breathing and not on their side. 

No words were needed for smooth fighting and coordination. Instinctively Clint knew what Bucky was going to do and what he needed Clint to do and vice versa. 

Thor’s booming laugh greeted them when they came back to the jet. “My friends, I am joyous to see you two become spectacular warriors together. It seems Loki’s actions were successful.” 

At the mention of the trickster, Bucky’s whole demeanor turned even more murderous. 

“You tell your brother that I’m going to fucking kill him the next time I see him.”

Clint couldn’t help but smile. “That’s sweet, big guy, but you’re a bit late to the party.” 

“You just killed for something that happened even longer ago. You don’t get to tell me what to do.” 

A week ago Clint would have taken offense and lashed out, but today, today he grinned and tapped Bucky’s chest with his bloody knuckles.  _ We could tell each other what to do. _

Bucky’s eyes widened. Confusion, surprise, want. 

_ We could try,  _ Clint thought, letting his own tentativeness and wish for understanding, for some intimacy without anything held back, for trust bleed through. 

_ We are only going to argue,  _ Bucky protested, but he was giving in. 

_ Hate sex. Makeup sex. Ganging up on Sam and Steve.  _

A smile curled up Bucky’s lips and Clint found it very attractive. 

_ I  _ am  _ the most good looking Avenger.  _

Clint rolled his eyes but reached out to touch Bucky’s hand. 

“This is incredibly creepy,” Tony commented from where he was leaning onto Steve’s shoulders, their height difference non-existent with the armor. 

“Get used to it,” Bucky told him and put a huge grin on Clint’s face. 

Who knew that a little bit of magic and less than a week could flip an antagonistic relationship completely upside down. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me [here on Tumblr](https://sarcasticmesswriting.tumblr.com/) for excerpts into fanfiction I'm writing.  
(And look out for Whumptober I'm participating in where I hurt Clint a lot and give him a lot of different partners.)


	4. "Take That Back."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KidFic, Fluff overload.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just got the loveliest comment from kaige68 on the last chapter that made me grin like a lunatic and remind me that I haven't posted for today yet, so HUGE thanks for that.  
This one is a bit shorter, but I think the length of the last one and the next one make up for it. (I don't think you're ready for tomorrow, guys.)

The sun was shining directly on his face and forced Clint to wake up with a groan. He turned onto his stomach and stretched out an arm to feel the other side of the bed, but it was empty. In the same moment, Clint heard a shriek and laughter from downstairs and a smile stole its way onto Clint’s lips. 

Mind a bit foggy he forced himself to get up and put on a shirt though he didn't bother with pants. 

"Come on, say it. I will chase you until the end of the world." 

Another delighted sound and Clint made his way into the living room and kitchen combo just in time to see Bucky rounding the dining table and scooping up Leila around the waist. Upside down her hair was everywhere and her feet were kicking the air, but Bucky was already an expert in avoiding the flailing limbs she had sadly inherited from Clint. 

"Good Morning," Clint greeted mildly, chuckling at the twin deer in headlights look. "Don't mind me." He went over to where the coffee machine had already run its course and quickly poured himself some into his  _ #1 Dad  _ mug, because any second…

Solid arms wrapped around his waist, lips peppered kisses over Clint's throat. "Morning, sweetheart." 

Another pair of smaller arms clung to his legs and beautiful blue eyes looked up at him. "Mornin', daddy. Papa chased me."

"I saw that." Clint carded his fingers through Leila's dark hair that was all Bucky. "What did he want you to say?" He emptied his mug so he could put it down and intertwine his fingers with Bucky's. Their wedding rings bumped into each other and it was another reminder of how lucky Clint was. 

"She has to admit I'm her favorite. Just the truth after all." 

"Nuh-uh. Daddy lets me watch aaaall the Disney movies as much as I want and and we eat pizza every time you are at work and he-” 

Clint quickly put his hand over her mouth, but it was already too late. 

“Oh, really? Daddy does all that?” His tone promised danger. 

“Quickly, take that back,” Clint hissed at Leila and her eyes widened before she let go of Clint’s leg and ran away as quickly as her little legs could carry her. The traitor.

“Well well well.” Bucky turned Clint around and crowded him against the counter. “It seems to me someone is not following the rules.” 

“When have I ever played fair?” Clint smirked up at Bucky and stretched up to reach Bucky’s lips, all while their bodies were still pressed tightly together. “It got me the most amazing, most gorgeous, most forgiving husband in all the universe.” 

Bucky’s chiding look held for all of five seconds before it dissolved into a sigh and he kissed Clint. “You will spoil her rotten and on an unhealthy diet.” 

“We do archery every other day. Gymnastics practice is every day and you too do your yoga just as often. She will be the most athletic preschooler in the country. A few  _ delicious  _ carbs won’t kill her.” 

“You’re lucky you’re so cute.” Bucky kissed Clint again, before pulling him into a hug. 

“I love you,” Clint whispered into Bucky’s shoulder, even after years feeling the fear of this being the time he would be rejected. 

“I love you too.” 

“I love you too,” Leila shouted and collided with their legs, arms stretched upwards to be picked up. “You’re both my favourites,” she declared as she perched on Bucky’s hip and kissed them both on the cheeks twice. 

Their perfect little family. There was nothing better. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me [here on Tumblr](https://sarcasticmesswriting.tumblr.com/) for excerpts into fanfiction I'm writing.  
(And look out for Whumptober I'm participating in where I hurt Clint a lot and give him a lot of different partners.)


	5. Arranged Marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HIstorical Au with a tiny warning for period typical, arranged marriage typical talk of consent issues, though absolutely nothing happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter this week. Nearly 4K of a bit of angst, a bit of drama and a beautiful fluffy happy ending. At least I think so^^

Clint never viewed his life as either lucky or unlucky. There were only circumstances and whatever work he had done to better his life. 

Circumstances that determined Clint was born into the family to an easily addicted father who loved gambling, women and his drink. A father who beat his sons and still managed to get one on his side to share games of dice, women or a drink.

Clint never liked the idea of his life being all written out as some declaration read to the commoners in the market square. He was more than just the son of a man who had fallen from glory gained in war. 

Starting as an errand boy Clint quickly became the most reliable in the city. He was fast and nimble enough to go routes no one else could and none of his wares ever went missing. Years he worked and built a reputation, getting a job going in and out of the castle, getting paid better and finding friends in the people in the castle, noble and commoner. 

Harold and Barney tried to rope Clint into their dealing, tried to get him to give them money, but Clint barely had enough to sustain himself. And he really didn’t want to support their habits. 

Years of having a pretty decent life with ups and downs, but he still didn’t expect to be called in front of the Kings of their country. 

Anxiety churned in his gut as two guards he had just talked to this morning opened the door to the throne room. They looked serious and maybe even pitying. 

The room had never been this long or his stride had never been this short.

King Steve and King Tony sat in their equally large thrones with grave expressions, advisers in a group to the right, the captain of the guard with a couple high ranking officers on the left. They didn’t have their weapons out. Yet. 

Clint knelt down, head hung low and said loud and clear, “Your Majesties.”

“Please, Clint, there is no need to kneel,” Steve said kindly and Clint quickly got up, putting his hands behind his back for lack of a better spot. 

“Now we called you here to talk about your family’s debt to the crown.” Tony lounged precariously on his throne and Steve sent him the usual reproaching look Tony ignored. 

“I see,” Clint said slowly, even though he didn’t. He didn’t have anything to do with that debt. Unofficially he had already washed his hands off it, but officially he was still part of the Barton family. His only reason for not doing that yet was that he didn’t want to lose his mother’s surname. 

“Steve and I have talked at length on how to approach this and we have decided to release you of the whole debt.” 

“In exchange for your hand in marriage.” 

“My hand in-” Clint blinked at them in incomprehension. “I don’t understand. Barney and my father are the ones you should talk about the debt to. Your Majesties,” he added quickly, lowering his gaze. 

“Has no one told you?” Rhodey stepped forward, his Captain’s insignia on his chest shining in the light from the windows. 

“Told me what?”

“Clint, there was a brawl in The Sun three days ago,” Rhodey said, coming closer, hands away from his sword, but Clint still kept his posture unthreatening. It didn’t matter that they were friends outside of this hall. “Your father and Barney were involved and suffered severe injuries. They died that night.”

“They’re both…?” Clint couldn’t feel his fingers, couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of being the last one left of his family. 

“Yes. I’m so sorry, Clint.” Rhodey looked like he genuinely meant it, but Clint wasn’t upset? Or at least he didn’t think so. Maybe it would need some time to sink in, but now he was in front of the crown, talking about money he had to pay back. Money he absolutely and without a doubt did not have. 

“If I may ask, who will I marry?” He didn’t want to leave the city. All his friends were here. Marrying the person chosen by the crown would free him of the debt, but maybe shackle him to someone cruel and unkind. Even so, did it even matter? The crown wanted him to marry someone. He couldn’t refuse. And no matter who it was Clint would be fine. Clint was tenacious and had survived the beatings of his father, the cold starving touch of winter more than once. 

“Bucky Barnes.” 

_ The Winter Soldier.  _ Clint’s stomach bottomed out.

~~

“You’re definitely going to die,” Natasha commented, hands busy braiding Pepper’s red hair. 

“He is  _ not _ going to die,” Pepper said with an eye roll, though she very purposefully didn’t move her head. 

“I don’t know, man. I have never seen that guy smile or sad.” Sam’s knife impaled the wooden target with a dull thud, a good foot away from where Clint’s was embedded. “He is the crown’s most successful assassin. I do not want to be in your shoes right now.” 

“Great,” Clint muttered, throwing his second knife with all his strength, making the whole target shake. “I’m going to die.”

~~

It had only been a couple of days since Clint had been pushed into marrying someone, but here he was, being dressed in clothes that surely cost just as much as the debt he had been released from, for a wedding to a man Clint had never  _ really  _ spoken to. 

Barnes had always been around the castle when Clint had come to it to run errands. When Clint hadn’t known who the man was, Clint had tried to talk to him, tried to strike up a conversation and make a friend and maybe help the handsome, slightly lost looking man. 

Barnes had glared at him, grunted and left. All the following instances they were in the vicinity of each other Barnes had glared at him, often stared at Clint while Clint talked to someone else. 

Once Clint saw him covered in blood that wasn’t his own, seconds after killing a man making an attempt on the Kings’ lives. 

Rumors called him a rapist and a killer of children, called him the moon to Steve’s sun. 

Clint was to be his husband, his property and whatever else Barnes wanted him to be. Barnes didn’t even need to tell the Kings that Clint wasn’t cooperating, he could just kill Clint himself without a problem. 

“You look very handsome,” Pepper pulled him out of his thoughts. Her smile was calm and encouraging. 

He didn’t understand how she could believe this was not going to end in bloodshed. 

“Thank you.” Swallowing he straightened his jacket and turned to look over his room for one last time.

It was nothing special. A tiny room above the blacksmith with a bed and a small cabinet for the few clothes he owned. He would never see it again. Instead, he would go to live in whatever rooms Barnes inhabited in the castle. 

He offered Pepper his arm and she took it with another smile. 

“It’s going to be fine. Maybe you will even come to like him.” 

He sincerely doubted that.

The ceremony was held in the chapel, overseen by both Kings and advisers and all of Clint’s commoner friends. All the seats were filled and flowers decorated every inch. Barnes was dressed in black like always and Clint refused to let his head hung low as Clint stepped up next to him. 

The words of the minister washed over Clint like white noise and he only snapped out of the daze he hadn’t even noticed he had entered into when it was time for Clint and Barnes to move into the throne hall for the feast. 

There was no kiss to seal the marriage, there was no happy exchange of rings, there was no dance or stolen touches. It was just everyone happily eating incredible food, laughing and getting drunk, while Barnes and Clint sat at the table of honor next to the Kings in silence. 

Clint only managed to swallow two bites, before his stomach rebelled and he stuck to picking at the food on his plate. Barnes didn’t seem to have the same problem and Clint kind of resented him even more for it.

After Tony was well into his cups, he winked at Clint and Barnes -  _ his husband  _ \- and got them to leave the party. The catcalls from the other guests were quickly silenced by a single look from Barnes and cold anxiety rolled down Clint’s back as he followed Barned out of the room and down hallways and up stairs. 

The door they stopped at was simple wood with metal reinforcement and Barnes opened the door with a key before nodding for Clint to go in first. 

The room was so much bigger than Clint’s, more expensive, which wasn’t a surprise, but it was much simpler than other rooms in the castle Clint had snuck a peek into. Clint couldn’t see any personal effects and beside a small trunk he had put his stuff in prior to the wedding, there wasn’t much else. 

Clint blinked as Barnes basically pushed the key in his face. When he took it Barnes turned and started to make his way out of the room. 

“Wait,” Clint said confused. He shouldn’t put thoughts in Barnes’ head, but he rather got this over with as soon as possible. “We’re not going to consummate the marriage?” 

Barnes paused in the doorway and only turned his head after a good five seconds, eyes scrutinizing Clint from top to bottom. “No,” he simply said, voice rough, before he left the room and closed the door behind him. 

Not sure what else to do and not understanding Barnes at all Clint started to explore. There were no paintings or pictures, no jewelry or other trinkets, nothing that indicated Barnes had a personality. Not even any clothes of his own. 

It was very strange. 

Clint passed the night fitfully. Every noise was unfamiliar, every creak was the potential sound of Barnes returning. 

When the sky started to lighten and the sky peeked over the horizon, Clint got up from the too soft bed and got dressed in his own clothes, the commoner clothes that made it easier to move around in and blend in. 

For a while, it was like the wedding had never happened. Clint went about his deliveries, helped anyone who needed it and continued to steal food from Natasha in the kitchens. The only thing that really changed was the room he returned to every night. He didn’t see Barnes either around the castle or at night in the room, but he wasn’t sure if it was because Barnes was trying to lure Clint into false security or if he really wasn’t interested. 

And then, just as he was leaving the kitchen with threats being shouted after him, he crossed paths with Rhodey who smiled at him.

“Ah, I’ve been looking for you. Would you like to join us for practice, Clint?”

It took only a second to make sure everything he needed to do today could be postponed. “Sure.” He loved watching the knights train, though he could never do it for very long or very frequently. 

Everyone else was already on the field and warming up. Which didn’t really make sense. If they didn’t need someone to carry their weapons or targets or whatever else they needed, why did Rhodey tell Clint to come with?

Barnes noticed Clint first and if possible, he looked even more furious than usual. At the moment he grabbed Steve and dragged him a couple of steps away, Steve didn't look like the King he was. They were too far to hear clearly as Barnes started to hiss at Steve, but they stood in a way that made it possible for Clint to read their lips. 

_ “This was your fucking idea. Don’t lie.”  _

_ “Come on, Buck. This is a good thing.” _

_ “It’s fucking torture and you fucking know it.”  _ Barnes let go of Steve, looked over at Clint and their eyes met in the same moment Sam’s arm was slung across Clint’s shoulder and pulled him in a hug. 

“I’m going to have so much fun beating you at something.” 

“Never,” Clint answered, looking up at Sam. 

“Your husband is glaring at me in jealousy,” Sam whispered into Clint’s ear. “You must have won him over with your sexual prowess.” 

Clint pulled a face in a mix of disgust and embarrassment. “I hate you.” 

“Aww, don’t lie. You love me.” Sam grinned at him and attempted to kiss him jokingly, but Clint stopped him with an elbow to the side. 

Someone cleared their throat next to them and Clint glanced over to see that Barnes had approached them. He was looking even more murderous than a second ago. 

“Steve wants to spar with you, Sam.” 

“Sure, sure. Let me have the bruises while you two cosy up. I understand.” With a wink, Sam went over to Steve leaving Clint and Barnes in awkward silence. 

Or at least Clint felt awkward. Who could tell from Barnes’ blank expression, though he did avoid eye contact. 

“It’s fine.”

Clint frowned at Barnes. “What?”

“We’re married because of Steve. Sam’s fine.” Barnes glanced at Clint and quickly looked away when he saw that Clint was already looking at him. A knife appeared in his hand he started to fiddle with. “I wouldn’t consider it cheating if you two get involved.” 

“I,” Clint stopped, blinking in confusion, not sure if he had heard correctly. “What?”

Barnes exhaled sharply, frowning down at the ground. “You were forced into this. You should be with someone you want to be with. That’s all.” He turned away and walked over to Rhodey who immediately pulled him into a sparring match, leaving Clint to stare after him. 

As stilted as that had been it had seemed like concern for Clint’s happiness? 

Clint was distracted by watching Barnes during the rest of the training. All the other knights seemed to chalk his failure up to being a novice at sword fighting and Clint for once didn’t bother to correct them or boast about his ability to pick skills up quickly. 

Observing Barnes was puzzling. All the little details Clint had never seen before didn’t really fit with the image of the ruthless, murderous killer Clint had built Barnes up as in his head. 

Yes, he was the most skilled fighter among the knights and there was no hesitation in his movements with a sword or knives, but when they stood around and talked about the next exercise or the topic of conversation turned to something else entirely, Barnes tended to stay silent and stare off to the side or even turn a knife over in his hands behind his thigh, half-hidden from everyone else. Clint would say it almost looked nervous. 

A half-assed plan started to form in Clint’s head, but he always worked best with those. 

At the end of the training, everyone was sweaty and grass-stained, but they were still joking around, still happy with their Kings, especially because Steve acted more like a fellow knight than their King. Still, the other knights grabbed weapons to get back to the weapon room or left to do something else, when Clint used the perfect moment of stopping Steve, so no one else noticed. 

“May I ask a question, your Majesty?” 

Steve looked half-amused, half reproachful. “Really, call me Steve outside of official events. And of course, you may. You’re married to my best friend.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk about. Ba-Bucky kind of told me the reason why you wanted us to marry. I guess I just wanted to confirm because he… well.”

“Oh, I get it. He’s being shy again, isn’t he?” Steve shook his head with a smile. “You know, every time he looks ready to kill someone he is usually trying not to blush or say the wrong thing. He’s been pining for you for so long, you would think he now has a thousand things to say.” 

“Yeah, right.” Clint barely registered the heavy hand on his shoulder and only absentmindedly watched Steve walk away. 

Barnes had been pining? For Clint? And he had been insecure this whole time and not angry at all? At least if Steve was to be believed and Steve was the most honest person in the whole kingdom. 

All Clint’s friends knew that his self-preservation instincts only went so far, but even he wasn’t stupid enough to confront Barnes with only Steve’s word as assurance, so he did something else. 

Clint started to follow Barnes around. 

It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, but as Clint always pretended to talk to someone or do things when Barnes looked at him, so he probably hadn’t been discovered yet. 

For a couple of days, nothing interesting or very revealing happened and Clint was close to giving up. Or at least he was because he never managed to stick close after dinner. Either Barnes vanished alone while others were eating or Clint had to take a different hallway all together as to not arouse suspicions, but tonight Barnes seemed to be deep in thought and Clint was able to follow him while using shadows. 

Whatever Clint expected to walk into, and he wasn’t really expecting  _ anything _ , it wasn’t for Barnes to walk into the stables and enter the tack room in the back, leaving the door slightly ajar. 

As quietly as Clint could he moved closer until he was able to look into the room. 

At first he only saw saddles, then there was a huge solid trunk shoved into a corner and Clint tried to see more and slowly edged the door open even more, but he didn’t see the raised stone in the floor and his foot promptly caught on it, causing him to fall forward into the room with a yelp. 

Hands caught him just before he busted his knees on the stone floor and trepidation rushed through Clint as his eyes moved over grey stones over blankets to Barnes sitting on said blankets holding Clint up above him. 

For a moment they looked at each other with wide eyes, both surprised for very different reasons until the things with Barnes in the room clicked in Clint’s head and of course immediately left his mouth.

“This is where you’ve been sleeping this whole time!” It was too loud, too blunt. Clint was afraid as soon as he said it, but he forgot all about it when he observed a never before seen blush cover Barnes’ cheeks. 

“My rooms were supposed to be our rooms, but you wanted them.” 

“I never said I wanted them. You just gave me a key and left and never said anything again until you told me I could fuck Sam.” 

Barnes winced, something dark flashing through his eyes. 

“You don’t want me to fuck Sam.” Clint felt like he was solving one of Tony’s puzzles or Bruce’ riddles, his thoughts spilling out without even the pretence of a filter. “You want me to be happy, but you don’t like the idea of me being happy with someone else. You let me move into your own room and start sleeping in the stables. Steve said you’re shy, that you pined for me. I thought he was joking, but.” But now with the evidence right in front of Clint’s eyes, with Barnes beneath him with a red face and not pushing Clint away or even stabbing him like Barnes undoubtedly could, it seemed more and more like the truth. “Do you like me, Bucky?”

Bucky’s hands slipped off Clint’s shoulders and suddenly Clint landed completely on top of Bucky, nose pressing against Bucky’s neck, chest to chest and what was… 

It was Clint’s turn to blush furiously when he realized what was pushing against his belly. 

“I, um, I’m not good with people and emotions,” Bucky said quietly, looking to the side when Clint sat up slightly, legs on each side of Bucky’s. “You. You talked to me when everyone else was too afraid. You always gave more than you took with to with everyone, no matter their status.” He swallowed and Clint felt warmer than he should, happier than he should. “I. Yes, I like you. Of course, I like you.” With a groan, he rubbed his face with his hands. 

Another, potentially terrible, idea made Clint reach out to curl his hands around Bucky’s wrists to pull his hands away, so Clint could lean in to kiss him. Maybe it was a kiss, Clint hadn’t had too many experiences in that department. 

_ Cute,  _ he thought, observing Bucky’s reaction. At that moment Bucky really didn’t look like the deadliest assassin in the whole country, but more like a fumbling teenager. 

“I honestly haven’t thought about  _ you and me _ before right now, but I’m definitely thinking about it right now.”

“Y-You are?” The hope in Bucky’s voice and face kind of broke Clint’s heart.

“We’re already married, so we are doing things a bit backwards, but I have never been conventional.” Clint winked at him and watched in awe how the most brilliant smile appeared on Bucky’s face. 

Arms wrapped around Clint’s waist and hugged him so tightly, Clint was barely able to breathe, but he felt strangely safe. If anyone wanted to get to Clint they would have to go through the most feared killer of the kingdom, if not the world. And Clint was the only one who knew the real Bucky Barnes, the one outside of the battlefield, the one who felt too much to express properly, who wanted to spoil the people in his life rotten even though he was always uncertain if it was welcome. Clint was the only one coaxing out all the different expressions and the whispered comments that got Clint to double over in laughter while Steve looked at them in satisfaction and disapproval because it was the middle of a council meeting. 

It was Clint who proposed to Bucky, because he wanted to, after being together forever. 

They had just won what looked like the last battle in an incredibly annoying war and after becoming one of the best knights Clint was right at the front line with Bucky and Steve and Sam at his sides. They were all covered in blood and Bucky looked just like one of the first times Clint had ever seen him, all terrifying and murderous and unapproachable. 

Something crunched under his knee when Clint knelt down in front of Bucky. 

“Holy shit,” Sam exclaimed right next to them, but Clint didn’t look away from Bucky, watched the realization wash over Bucky’s face, the joy lighten up his whole demeanour. 

“Yes,” Bucky answered the unspoken question, hauling Clint back onto his feet to kiss him senseless until Rhodey told them off. 

Clint had never viewed his life as lucky or unlucky, but he was happy and that was really the only thing that counted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me [here on Tumblr](https://sarcasticmesswriting.tumblr.com/) for excerpts into fanfiction I'm writing.  
(And look out for Whumptober I'm participating in where I hurt Clint a lot and give him a lot of different partners.)


	6. Accidental Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, canon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I forgot this yesterday. (That's a lie. I'm an idiot.)  
But now you get two stories immediately. Hope you will like it.

It was so unfair. 

Why did it have to be a giant squid moving through the Hudson River and pulling in whatever it could reach from the water? And if that wasn’t enough, Clint had to watch from afar, shooting arrows at flailing limbs and pinning them down, while Bucky moved in between them and either cut them off or dance out of the way. 

Ultimately it was also Bucky who finally killed the squid, but only after he had been grabbed and pulled into the water, giving Clint a small heart attack.

The tentacles jolted and then slumped to the ground, slowly sliding back into the water as the whole body sunk. 

Tony was already complaining about how he wanted a live specimen to science with Bruce, but Clint tuned him out immediately as he went over to their meeting place where the jet was sitting. It was in full view of the riverbank, so Clint had a front-row seat to watch Bucky emerge from the water and push himself up onto the solid ground. 

Bucky pushed his hair back with one hand and grinned at Steve who had come over. There was no way Clint could read their lips when Clint’s heart was doing overtime and his eyes were glued to Bucky’s hands that were loosening his uniform to be able to take it off. He was of course not wearing anything underneath and Clint swallowed. Hot, wet muscles with an attitude. 

Clint’s kryptonite.

“Hey, Hawkeye, it looks like you didn’t get to do much,” Sam said as he landed next to Clint, his wings retracting soundlessly.

“Not like you were a big help either,” Clint snapped and turned to stomp into the jet. He wasn’t being fair to Sam who had the best intentions, but Clint just couldn’t help it. 

He locked himself in the cockpit and hoped no one would try to find him, so he could calm down a little and maybe not try to tear off the next person’s head. He didn’t expect to be left alone forever, so it was no surprise when Natasha cornered him in the kitchen later the same day as he got himself some coffee. 

“What’s going on?” She crossed her arms and leveled her most unimpressed look at him. “Sam is the last person you mouth off to.” 

“Sending his guard dog? Wow.” Shaking his head he put his empty mug into the sink and started to head out of the kitchen. Evidently he hadn’t calmed down enough. 

Natasha grabbed his arm. “Talk to me.” 

“Fine,” he said and whirled around to face her. “You want to know what’s my problem? Bucky fucking Barnes is my problem. Did you see him today? Being all heroic and shit, jumping into the river and killing that thing, but that would have been fine. I would have managed, but no. He had to go and strip on the spot. Like, who does that? It’s torture. He’s torturing all of us. Or at least me. I mean, you saw him. With that infuriatingly smug smirk and all those muscles. It’s. It’s. Oh, and don’t get me started on his fucking hair. Does it have to be that long? And it’s so soft, Tasha. Remember that one time he fell asleep on my shoulder? It was a trial from the Gods I don’t believe in, I tell you. Don’t even get me started on his laugh. Why the fuck does the hottest guy on the planet have the cutest snort-laugh in the history of all laughs? It’s just not fair and I’m here on the sidelines struggling with not blurting any of that out in his presence, so excuse me for being a bit defensive.” A bit out of breath he made an articulate sound and scrubbed his hands over his face. “So, yeah. Dealing with being in love with someone who considers you a friend is going on with me.” 

It was quiet. Too quiet. 

Slowly Clint looked up at Natasha, expecting a surprised expression or a startled one, but instead, she was looking past Clint over his shoulder with panic in her eyes. 

“Please tell me it’s Bruce or Steve or anyone other than who I think it is.” 

Natasha looked at Clint and grimaced. 

“Fuck,” Clint muttered and steeled himself, before turning around and coming face to face with Bucky who looked midmotion of stepping into the kitchen, eyes wide. He had changed into faded jeans and Clint’s favorite red sweater that made Bucky look incredibly soft and approachable. 

“How much did you hear?” Out of the corner of his eye, Clint saw Natasha fleeing the room, the traitor. 

“All of it, I assume. You said  _ I _ was your problem and then. Uhm.” Bucky swallowed and glanced away and yeah. That was about what Clint had expected. 

“Look. I was never going to tell you and put you on the spot like this. I knew the whole time you wouldn’t go for someone like me. I’ll get over it, so it would be for the best if you forget about all of this.” Clint moved past Bucky, but paused for a moment to say “I’m sorry” and then left as quickly as possible, not seeing Bucky’s frowning gaze following him. 

~

Clint barely believed it, but nothing really changed. Natasha glanced at him and Bucky every now and then, when they were all together in team-building activities, but the way Bucky acted around Clint didn’t change and Clint was grateful. The friendship they had built was way too valuable.

But then one morning Clint had finished his workout and had headed back to his floor when a flash of yellow at his door made him pause. It was a simple square post-it glued to the door on eye level. 

_ You’re a hard worker.  _

That was it. Just that one sentence in unfamiliar handwriting. It had to have been an Avenger and Clint knew all of theirs, so someone had gone through the trouble of concealing it. 

“Jarvis?” 

“I am under the impression that it is a secret, Sir, with an elaborate idea behind it. Do you really wish to know?”

Stroking his thumb over the words Clint was, against all common sense, intrigued. “Not yet.” 

It continued like this. Clint found at least one post-it a day, sometimes even two. They were on his door or in the range on his bow or the communal floor or the gym. Anywhere Clint went, there could be a message waiting for him. 

_ Your smile is contagious.  _

_ When you say “I meant to do that”, I actually believe you. _

_ That thing where you know when someone needs something? That amazing.  _

_ You’re gorgeous - and that’s the least interesting thing about you, too. _

Compliment after compliment after compliment. Any time Clint thought there could not be anymore, he was proven wrong. 

None of the others acted at all differently and short of asking Jarvis, there really wasn’t a way to figure out who it was. If he was really honest with himself, he kind of didn’t want to know. It was nice having someone go out of their way to tell Clint all these things, even as a joke. 

But then the nice, but generic messages anyone could have pulled from the internet turned specialized. References to events, to things Clint did during team evenings or out during a fight when Clint took care of evacuating a bus overturned in the street. 

For days it was all events where the whole team was present and then slowly, every two or three days, someone got eliminating.

Clint spotted the flash of yellow behind the coffee machine as the whole team got ready to eat and his heart immediately started to race. His fingers toyed with the edge of the paper, but he didn’t pull it off to read just yet. 

Behind him, someone laughed, but it was like there was a wall between him and the rest of the room. There were only two options left. Tony or Bucky. If it was Tony, the whole thing most definitely had been a joke on Clint’s expense. If it was Bucky…

Clint didn’t want to dare get his hopes up. He had actually confessed to Bucky over two months ago and it had been accidental, but Bucky would have said something then, right? 

Slowly Clint peeled off the paper and took a deep breath before he looked at it. 

_ I want to take you out to dinner and maybe someday, you will allow me to tear off those tiny purple exercise pants. _

Heart in his throat he turned around and his eyes found Bucky who was already looking at him, a smirk showing up at once. 

“Figured it out yet?” Bucky asked and everyone else fell silent at once until a pin being dropped would have been audible. 

“Why?” A single word, but Clint’s voice still broke. 

Bucky crossed the room in a flash and cupped Clint’s face, hot and cold at the same time. “I could have said something before, I know, but I wanted to do something special for you. I wanted to show you that you deserve everything you want. I wanted to show you how I see you and I wanted to make you smile every day.” 

“I… I don’t know what to say.” 

“That’s a first,” Tony replied and promptly yelped in pain as he was shushed. 

“Clint,” Bucky said as if nothing happened. “Will you please allow me to take you out on a date? “

“No joke?” Clint grabbed Bucky’s shirt, hope dangerously trying to take over. 

“No joke. Every single word in those messages is true and there is even more I want to tell you. I’ll make sure you will believe it if it takes forever. Honestly, preferably it takes forever.” 

There were no words to convey Clint’s feelings in that moment, so he just pulled Bucky down as Clint stretched up and they met in the middle in a kiss. 

“Yes,” Clint whispered as they parted and kissed Bucky again, feeling hands press into Clint’s sides. 

“I feel like I just witnessed a marriage proposal,” Sam commented, but Clint didn’t pull away from Bucky just yet. He was way too happy to be bothered by the teasing. 

“No one has asked for my approval,” Steve said in the driest tone possible. 

“You do know that implies Barnes is the girl.” 

“Have you not heard, Tony? No one is the girl in a gay relationship.” 

“I’m in love with you, by the way,” Bucky said quietly as the bickering got out of hand. “Just in case, it wasn’t clear.” 

“I love you too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me [here on Tumblr](https://sarcasticmesswriting.tumblr.com/) for excerpts into fanfiction I'm writing.  
(And look out for Whumptober I'm participating in where I hurt Clint a lot and give him a lot of different partners.)


	7. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Modern, No Powers Au, a bit of sexual flirting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this concludes this WinterHawk week. This was so much fun and I'm so happy so many people liked it. All your lovely comments and kudos are incredible and it means so much.   
Thank you for sticking with me these couple of days.

It was the perfect day for a party. There was not a cloud in sight and everyone was in good spirits. Every inch of the backyard was either used for food and drinks or was decorated with banners wishing a happy birthday or United States of America flags and other paraphernalia. 

Clint loved the 4th of July. Not only was it a day dedicated to celebrating his country and have a good time, but it was also Steve’s birthday and that meant Tony got to throw a party and Tony always threw the best parties. Being able to see all of his friends that were practically family he didn’t get to see often was just the cheese on top of a pizza. Not necessary, but a pleasure nonetheless. 

Sipping his cold beer Clint walked over to where Bucky and Steve were roughhousing as if they were ten years younger than they were. “As much as I enjoy a sweaty Steve, really, baby?” 

Bucky jumped up onto his feet and sidled up to Clint with a smirk, completely ignoring Steve who rolled his eyes. “Come on, you love it when I get all sweaty.” He wrapped an arm around Clint’s waist to pull him against his side and snatched his beer away with the other hand. 

“Maybe,” Clint acquiesced, eyes trailing over Bucky’s swallowing throat and a drop of sweat that ran out of his hair. Clint wasn’t sure why, but Bucky had cut his hair a bit shorter than usual for today. The roughhousing and the heat of the day notwithstanding Bucky had also styled it neater and had shaved completely for the first time in a while. Don’t get Clint wrong, he loved running his fingers through Bucky’s hair and get stubble burn in all kinds of places, but Bucky looked incredibly handsome right now. 

Leaning up a little Clint let his lips brush Bucky’s ear a little while he whispered. “We’ve shown our faces for long enough and they will be distracted by fireworks in a bit, so what do you say for getting out of here and I can show you how much I  _ love  _ it when we get all sweaty?” 

The speed with which Bucky extracted himself from Clint made Clint blink in surprise. “Ah, no, let’s stay. I mean, they took care of all the fireworks and foods and stuff. It would be rude. Oh, I see Tasha.” And then Bucky fled and left Clint staring after him in complete bafflement. 

If Clint had been even the tiniest bit insecure in his years-long relationship with Bucky, he would have been panicking that Bucky was losing interest in Clint. That had been incredibly weird. 

But then Tony sidled up to Clint and regaled him with a story about his son Peter getting in trouble in school by being a science nerd just like his dad and Tony sounded so proud Clint forgot all about Bucky’s strangeness.

Half an hour later Steve called for attention and everyone gathered around, excited for fireworks and in a good mood. He was standing on the back porch, grinning and with a red cup in his hand. Bucky hovered a bit behind him and Clint watched in confusion as Steve hit Bucky on the back of the shoulder and then descended the stairs and wrapped himself around Tony. 

“Yeah, so, hi everyone. I know you want to get on with the light show, but just give me a couple of minutes, alright?” Bucky grinned his  _ charming the socks off you _ smile, but his shoulders were tense and he was clearly nervous. “We all know each other for a long time and we’ve been through some ugly times, so I thought this would be a good time to thank you all. I wouldn’t have made it without all of you.” 

Some cheered and there was a bit of applause, but Clint couldn’t look away from Bucky. There was something else. 

“And I definitely couldn’t have done it without Clint.” Bucky looked at Clint and his smile was wobbly. “You were my friend first and it took a long time for us to get our shit together to admit our feelings.” 

“Hear hear,” Steve interrupted and nearly everyone laughed. 

“ _ Anyway.  _ Clint, it took us a while, but we got there and I’ve never been happier. You’re the most amazing individual I know and even the way you’re completely unresponsive before you had your coffee in the morning is a reason why I love you. And there are a lot. Reason to love that is.” He chuckled a bit in embarrassment and it slowly dawned on Clint. He never had been quick on the uptake before. 

“Bucky, are you doing what I think you’re doing?” Clint was not ashamed to admit that his voice shook a little. 

“Well.” Bucky reached into his pocket and pulled out a purple box, so obviously holding a ring inside. 

Like his feet had a mind of their own Clint walked up the stairs to stand next to Bucky. “You’re seriously proposing on your best friend’s birthday?” 

“It’s Independence Day. Celebration of freedom and choice. Steve does not factor in at all.” Bucky caught Clint’s hand and Clint noticed it was shaking as well. “I seriously love you and I really want to spend the rest of my life calling you my husband. So, for the love of pizza, will you marry me?” Bucky dropped to one knee and Clint fell down just a second later, grinning like a lunatic, before hugging Bucky fiercely. 

“Are you not going to say anything?” Bucky asked, sounding so hopeful, but not completely sure and Clint couldn’t. 

Leaning back he sniffed and showed Bucky the tears running down his face. Emotions were overwhelming Clint and he could only say  _ yes  _ in sign language, but Bucky lit up like a Christmas tree and hugged Clint again. 

Sudden applause and cheers rolled over them, but Clint didn’t care. He was engaged to the man of his dreams and no one could take that away from him. 

As Bucky slipped the ring onto Clint’s finger and they kissed for the first time as a to be married couple, someone set off the anticipated fireworks and set the sky ablaze. 

Clint didn’t notice any of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me [here on Tumblr](https://sarcasticmesswriting.tumblr.com/) for excerpts into fanfiction I'm writing.  
(And look out for Whumptober I'm participating in where I hurt Clint a lot and give him a lot of different partners.)

**Author's Note:**

> Find me [here on Tumblr](https://sarcasticmesswriting.tumblr.com/) for excerpts into fanfiction I'm writing.   
(And look out for Whumptober I'm participating in where I hurt Clint a lot and give him a lot of different partners.)


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